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Dynamics of Flight

Is “become a pilot” on your bucket list? Have you often wondered how those amazing (and very heavy) machines stay in the air? Did you know the first US airline was established in 1914?

The forces of flight will be front and center in “Dynamics of Flight,” a special exhibition at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History the Museum. This exhibit, which opens on June 1, 2013, will unlock the wonder of flying, the amazing history and heritage of aviation, and the excitement of working in the field. It will feature a flight simulator so that you can test your skills as a pilot and learn how to handle an airplane’s pitch, yaw and roll. Other fundamentals of avionics illustrated in this exhibit include the physics of lift, drag, and thrust, and how those are displayed in modern cockpits.

For a special treat, Sky 7, the KOAT helicopter, will make appearance at the Museum at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 1. Visitors can speak with the Sky 7 pilot and its crew and learn about how helicopters fly. Visitors can also get up close to the Museum’s four aircraft, something that is unique in our area.

“Dynamics of Flight” will be on display through the end of the year. There is no additional fee to experience the exhibit, beyond the usual price of admission of $8 for adults and $7 for youth and seniors. Underwriting of “Dynamics of Flight” was provided by Lockheed Martin/Sandia National Laboratories, with additional support provided by the Albuquerque Section of The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Aspen Avionics, the US Southwest Soaring Museum, and the Lobo Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Another flight-related effort at the Museum will kick off on May 31: an ambitious campaign to raise $200,000 in two years. This fundraising effort will be called “Operation Preservation: The Campaign to Restore the Planes.” The campaign will provide resources vital to the restoration of the Museum’s iconic aircraft: the B-29 Superfortress, the B-52B Stratofortress, the A-7 Corsair II, and the B-47E Stratojet.

A number of aircraft themed events are being planned for the summer at the Museum, including a showing of the blockbuster movie, The Avengers, outside under the airplane wings on August 3.
 

16th Annual Einstein Society Gala

US Navy Admiral Kirkland H. Donald (retired) has been named the recipient of the 2013 National Award of Nuclear Science and History, which is presented annually by National Atomic Museum Foundation to a prominent person that has had an impact on nuclear issues. The award will be presented at the 16th annual Einstein Society Gala on March 16, 2013.

Admiral Donald served as the Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion and Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration's Naval Reactors from November 2004 to November 2012.  He retired from the U.S. Navy on January 1, 2013, completing more than 37 years of service.

“We are extremely proud to recognize the contributions of Admiral Donald,” said Jim Walther, Museum Director. “The nation’s naval nuclear program has been ably advanced by his service.”

This will be the sixteenth year the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History has bestowed the award. The award celebrates the wide scope of achievement and commitment to furthering scientific endeavor made by individuals in areas of military leadership, medical technology, public policy and government, energy sciences, education and space exploration. Honorees become members of the International Advisory Council to the museum. Past honorees include:

 Dr. Glenn Seaborg, former head of the Atomic Energy Commission, co-discoverer of Plutonium, and medical and nuclear researcher
 Dr. David Kuhl, inventor of Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a medical scanning technology that led to broad application of nuclear medical imaging technology
 Richard Rhodes, the author of twenty-one books including “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”, which won a Pulitzer Prize in Nonfiction, a National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award
 Dr. Lisa Randall, American theoretical physicist and a leading expert on particle physics and cosmology. She is the Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science at Harvard University

The Einstein Society Gala is the largest fundraising event for the Museum each year. The evening includes dinner and dancing as well as a silent auction. AnnaMaria Cardinalli, American military investigator, classical guitarist, and operatic contralto, will perform at the event.

Proceeds benefit the Museum’s educational programs. Tickets are $125. Table sponsorships are also available. For information, contact Charles Lowery, Director of Development, at 505-245-2137, extension 110.

Earth from Space: A View from Above

It was 1967 when a NASA weather satellite captured the first color image of the earth from space. Since that time, images of our big, blue marble of a planet have fascinated mankind.

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History will open a new exhibit on February 2, 2013, entitled Earth from Space that illustrates how satellite imagery is gathered and used to expand mankind’s understanding of life on earth. It also explores the remote-sensing technology used to gather the images and describes the individual satellites whose images are on display.

“The high-resolution images of geographic landscapes are presented through the scope of science and history,” says Greg Shuman, Deputy Director of the Museum.

The 20-poster set features colorful images from the swirling arms of a massive hurricane and the grid-like pattern of Kansas farmland to the triangular shadows cast by the Great Pyramids and the sinuous channels entering the Arctic Ocean. The beautifully detailed images provide clues about the nature of our planet and offer teachers opportunities to engage students in a broad array of science topics, including geography, environmental studies, ecology, oceanography and meteorology.

The exhibition was born of the popular and award-winning museum exhibition of the same title that premiered in November 2006 at the National Air and Space Museum. In 2007, it won a U.S. Geological Survey communications award for science content.

Earth from Space will be on view through April; the usual admission rates of $8 for adults and $7 for seniors and youth apply. A free preview will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 on Friday, February 1, at the Museum, in conjunction with a kick off event for the Museum’s 2013 Membership Matters Campaign. To RSVP, call 245-2137, extension 113.

“Abandoned in Place” A Temporary Exhibit Coming Soon

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History will be exhibiting photos by Roland Miller in a collection called “Abandoned in Place.” The exhibition, which opens on November 10, 2012, records a vanishing era in both the space race and the cold war. The facilities photographed portray some of the most historic and technical adventures of the last century--from our first unmanned flights beyond the atmosphere to landing men on the moon.

“Abandoned in Place” is an exploration of the American space-launch and research facilities at Langley Research Center, the Johnson Space Center, and Vandenberg Air Force Base (among others), where much of the infrastructure remains in ruins. The exhibition will be on display through January 6, 2013.

According to the photographer, “The temporal nature of life is evident in views of decaying sites which once captured the attention of the entire world.”

“The blockhouses, launch towers, tunnels, test stands, and control rooms featured are giving way rapidly to the elements and renovation. They are too expensive to restore or even maintain. They can't be moved. Even if they could be moved, there is no museum facility large enough to contain them. Security and safety restrictions prevent the general public from accessing these dilapidated steel and concrete sites where some of the most important and dramatic events of the 20th Century unfolded.”

There is no additional cost to view the exhibit, beyond the usual admission rates of $8 for adults and $7 for youth and seniors.

A Temporary Exhibition on Peace

“Transforming the Human Spirit: From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace” exhibit that will go on display at the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History on September 29, 2012. The exhibit is a production of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a lay Buddhist movement of 12 million people around the world that promotes peace, culture and education through personal change and social contribution.

The exhibit poses a number of ethical questions for the viewer to contemplate:  how do we ensure freedom from fear? What can we do to promote human security? How do humans become more peaceful?

Visitors will view multiple panels, ranging from Ensuring Human Security to Global Efforts for Peace.  Each panel asks the reader to imagine a world where the interconnectedness of humans across the globe is paramount and a peaceful world is possible.

The exhibit has been on display in cities around the world, and comes to the Museum from Berlin. A panel discussion about peace and human security is being planned for early October.

“Transforming the Human Spirit” will be on exhibit through October 28, 2012. There is no additional cost, beyond the usual admission rates of $8 for adults and $7 for youth and seniors, to view the exhibit.